Cooking & Cocktails Class
Our adult cooking and cocktail-making masterclasses offer the ultimate relaxed night in with friends, providing a vibrant, stress-free alternative to fighting the crowds at a crowded restaurant. During this completely curated evening, the group splits for double the fun: half the couples head into the kitchen to whip up a spectacular three-course dinner alongside Chef Danielle, while the other half steps up to a full, custom on-site bar to learn the art of mixology from a professional mobile bartender.
Every detail is completely handled for youāthe chef hand-selects all of the fresh groceries and each recipe is seamlessly set up into interactive stations, while the bartender fully stocks and crafts the bar experience. It is a lively, fun-filled evening centered around incredible food, craft drinks, and the best company.
An Unforgettable Menu
Guests alternate between shaking up signature drinks and mastering a stunning culinary lineup:
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The Main Features: Miso Salmon with Scallion Salsa Verde, paired with Cilantro Lime Coconut Rice and a crisp Asian Cucumber Salad, alongside a bright Lemon Basil Chicken.
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The Comfort Classic: Rich, authentic Cacio e Pepe.
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The Grand Finale: A decadent Chocolate Mousse topped with fresh berries and cream.
Gather your favorite couples, skip the restaurant reservations, and enjoy an evening of pure connection, vitality, and laughter where all you have to do is show up, cook, sip, and savor.
COOKING & COCKTAILS šøš©š»āš³
Last weekend I taught two cooking classes, and this one was the second one! Saturday night one of my amazing weekly clients decided to host a party with friends when she heard that I taught cooking class - dinner parties! We added the cocktails making masterclass so half the couples cooked with me in the kitchen and half the couples made cocktails!
We had six stations in the kitchen:
Miso Salmon with Scallion Salsa Verde
Cilantro Lime Coconut Rice
Asian Cucumber Salad
Lemon Basil Chicken
Cacio e Pepe
Chocolate Mousse with Berries & Cream
Everyone pitched in and helped and the meal came out delicious!
The Cocktails Masterclass was amazing too, they made 5 different drinks throughout the night, plus bartender Lindsey from My Friend Lindsey was outstanding! She was making drinks all night in addition to teaching the class. Her set up with beautiful and it enhanced the evening!
Such a great way to enjoy a night in with friends!
#personalchef #westchester #dinner #cooking #cookingclass #inhomedinnerparty
Family Classes
Our interactive family cooking classes offer the perfect way to stay in and celebrate a special milestone, a birthday, or to gift an unforgettable experience to grandparents who already have everything and simply want more quality time together. At the end of the day, spending time together and creating lifelong memories is truly all that matters in life.
In our signature class, the entire family works side-by-side to craft homemade fresh pasta, a classic Cacio e Pepe, and a decadent chocolate mousse. This fully interactive experience is designed so that every single generationāfrom grandchild to adult child to grandparentāhas a meaningful role to play.
Why Families Love It:
- 100% Interactive: No matter the age or skill level, everyone gets their hands dirty and participates in the cooking process.
- Completely Disconnected: Enjoy several hours entirely off your devices, fully engaged in doing something meaningful together.
- The Reward: Once the cooking is done, everyone sits down together to savor a beautiful, delicious meal they created as a team.
Itās more than just a cooking lesson; itās an opportunity to step away from the screens, connect deeply, and feed your family’s vitality while building memories that will last a lifetime.
My earliest memory of cooking was making pasta with my grandmother. Itās one of the reasons why I became a chef. I love how food brings people together, during the tough times and during the happy times. Itās what we do as Italianās but itās what we do as humans. I love being the person that gets to make that happen.
This past Sunday I had the pleasure of teaching another fresh pasta class. The daughter gave the gift certificate to her mother for the holidays and she was so happy when she received it. It was a gift certificate for a cooking class and dinner for four. We made fresh pasta, Cacio e Pepe, Lemon Basil Chicken and Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Cream and Berries. It was a 2 hour class, where at first the teenage kids were lukewarm about helping out. But as the class continued they were really getting into making the pasta and took over rolling out the pasta sheets and helped with all of the steps to make the mousse. As the class came to an end, I plated the meal and served dinner. They enjoyed their Sunday dinner together as a family in the dining room, talking and spending time together. In the end that was the real gift that the mother received. And thatās why I love what I do.
As I was cleaning up the mother said āI have learned how to make pasta several times in the past but this was the first time that it clicked. You made it easy.ā ā¤ļøš¤š
The ultimate reason why I became a chef is because of what food does to people. What it does with family. That is how I was raised as an Italian American and that is my passion in life.
A dear friend of 30+ years reached out to me looking for a gift to give her parents for Christmas.
You get to a certain point in your life when you realize what you truly need in life and that is spending time with your family and creating memories. And that is just want we did.
We made fresh pasta, cacio e pepe, and chocolate mousse. Everyone participated and it made everyoneās hearts (and stomachs š) full!
Like I said last nightā¦āAll you need in life is spending time with family, great health and great food!ā
#personalchef #westchester #dinner #cooking #cookingclass #cacioepepe #freshpasta #pastalover #pastamaking #family #familytime #familygoals #love
Cooking for College Classes
The summer before heading off to college is the ultimate window to equip high school seniors with the fundamental life skills they need to thrive as independent young adults. Our specialized transition cooking classes move teens past the world of dorm-room microwave grilled cheeses and constant fast-food runs, teaching them how to confidently prepare simple, nutrient-dense meals.
Booking a session during this crucial milestone gives parents peace of mind, knowing they are sending their children off into the world with the practical tools to fuel their own longevity and vitality from day one.
Through highly practical, hands-on sessions, students master essential culinary foundations while learning how to intelligently navigate the modern food environment:
- Safe Knife Technique: Building confidence with fundamental cuts to make meal prep efficient and safe.
- Smart Grocery Shopping: Decoding nutrition labels to prioritize clean eating and manage potential food allergies.
- Pantry & Fridge Management: Understanding food safety basics to keep shared community kitchens free from expired or cross-contaminated food.
Chef Danielle is an engaging chef educator. Exceptionally easy to follow, reliable, and consistently delivering delicious and fun experiences in the kitchen.
Children’s Classes
In our childrenās cooking classes, we turn the kitchen into a hands-on laboratory where young chefs can explore new, vibrant ingredients at an early age. We truly believe that introducing children to unique, wholesome foods early on is the secret to preventing picky eating habits and fostering a genuine curiosity for nutrition. By learning not only what these healthy ingredients are but also exactly how to prepare and cook them, children gain the practical skills and confidence needed to chooseāand loveāvitality-focused meals for a lifetime.
As I look back on the last year, I canāt believe today is my last day @fiddleheadscookingstudio. It has been an amazing year teaching three sessions of seasonal cooking classes to pre-k and elementary school kids. My goal was to push myself out of my comfort zone and teach weekly. I loved creating the classes, the special themes, recipe testing and putting my heart into each recipe to figure out a way for the kids to try new foods and fall in love with fruits and vegetables. I will always look back at these pictures and smile. I was lucky enough to share these classes with my kids and they got to see what I do. The families were all so kind, the children were so much fun to cook with and I loved watching them grow in the kitchen. From shy kids walking in, growing into confident little cooks in the kitchen! I loved this so much and I look forward to continuing to teach in the future. Thank you to Renana @fiddleheadscookingstudio for the opportunity! You have a beautiful company.
šŗšøMemorial Day themed class with the Little Cooks.
ā¤ļøWe made our own strawberry jam, and used it as the base of our American Flag Toasts! The kids were great at cutting their strawberries and picking the stems off their blueberries. They learned about the stars and stripes on a flag, counting and patterns.
š¤Then we made Mason Jar Whipped Cream and SHAKED the jars to the song āJump in the Lineā and I loved their laughsā¦and their faces when they tried the whipped cream! The kids made berries and cream parfaits and I told them to create it however they wanted and I loved watching what they came up with individually.
šDue to the holiday weekend, and having a smaller sized class, we were able to cook in the small kitchen on sight. We were also fortunate to have interns help out during the class! Eden and Emerson are seniors from Horace Greeley High School. They are interning with @fiddleheadscookingstudio for their Senior Experience, which is a program their school runs where seniors do any internship or personal project for the last few weeks of school. Zoe is completing her required internship hours for her masterās in nutrition from Pace University. She has an interest in pediatric nutrition education. And my step son, Domenic, also helped and received community service hours, receiving part of his high school community service hours.
I loved the help and the little kids did as well!
If you want to make these with your kids, comment āflagā and Iāll send you the recipes.
Todayās @fiddleheadscookingstudio class was all about š„
The little cooks taste tested pecans, walnuts, dates, apricots and carrots! They made Carrot Cake Snack Bites and Carrot Ribbon Salad! It was a great class but wow there were carrot peels everywhere!? š©š»āš¾š³
Only 3 classes left for the spring session.
Comment š„ for the recipes!
#personalchef #westchester #cookingclass #cooking #kidscooking #fitfam #kidscookingclass #springrecipes
Making Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with the Little Cooks.
Today was all about letting the Little Cooks explore and be more independent.
šŖ COOKIES: We made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. One dozen with chocolate chips and one dozen without chocolate chips so the kids could choose which they liked more. We talked about fresh pumpkin which was roasted vs. canned pumpkin puree. They tasted both and decided they liked the canned pumpkin puree better.
šSLIME: The kids made Pumpkin Pie Slime independently and they loved the chance to do each step on their own.
š±ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS: We learned how to wash pumpkin seeds, strain them, dry them and then mix them with olive oil and salt and roasted them in 325F for 12 minutes. The kids REALLY loved these!! They said it tasted like popcorn. They also took seeds home to grow in their own garden.
šOPENING THE SEEDS: The kids learned how to remove the pumpkin seeds from the shells by squeezing them and enjoyed eating the seeds! The kids compared which they liked moreā¦ raw pumpkin seeds with the shell on, with the shell off and roasted pumpkin seeds.
šA CUTE STORY: I gave the kids the chance to pick which book we would readā¦Watch it Grow Pumpkin and Pumpkin Day at the Zoo. They pickedā¦Pumpkin Day at the Zoo which was such a cute story. (But we also looked through the Watch it Grow book to learn how the pumpkin grew from a seed just like the ones they were eating).
We had a lot of fun today exploring, tasting, baking and reading. Canāt wait for next weekā¦what will we make next?
#personalchef #cookingclass #kidscooking #kidscookingclass #kidscookingclasses #westchester #poundridge #poundridgemoms #pumpkinspice #pumpkin #pumpkincookies #cookies
Making Pizzas with the Little Cooks
You donāt always need pizza dough and sauce to make a fun pizza with the kids. Fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden are all you need!
1 (8.5 oz) sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
Ā¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
Ā¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 Tablespoons fresh basil, sliced thin, plus 1 Tablespoon for sprinkling
Ā 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Ā½ pound (18 total) heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1 - 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Ā½ cup shredded mozzarella
Ā
1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Place puff pastry on a cutting board and slice into 9 even pieces.
3. Use a knife to slice rectangles inside of each piece, but do not go all the way down, creating a quarter inch perimeter. Place them on sheet pan spread out and not touching.
4. In a bowl, mix together ricotta, parmigiano-reggiano, salt, basil, garlic powder and oregano.
5. In another small bowl whisk an egg and set aside to use as egg wash after making the pizzas.
6. Spoon 1 Tablespoon of cheese mixture in the middle of the rectangle of each pizza.
Ā
7. Top each piece with sliced tomatoes.
8. Brush the tomatoes with olive oil.
9. Brush the edges of the pizza with egg wash.
10. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 18 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown, turning the pan halfway through (after 9 minutes).
11. Remove from the oven. Top with grated mozzarella cheese and let the cheese melt as the pizzas cool.
12. Sprinkle with sliced basil and serve.
#cooking #cookingclass #kids #kidscook #kidscookingclass #westchester #chef
Carrot Hummus with the Little Cooks
So much happened during this class today!
š„Practiced cutting carrots, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumber and ate the rainbow.
š„Learned how to peel carrots, deseed peppers, smash garlic, juice a lemon and puree the hummus.
š„Voted on what we liked vs. disliked: raw carrots, roasted carrots, carrot juice and carrot hummus.
š„Read āToo Many Carrotsā
š„Played Jumpinā Jacks
š„Tasted new flavors like chickpeas & lemon.
Ingredients
1 pound carrots, peeled, diced into one inch pieces
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Ā¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Veggies: Cucumber, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Carrots and Celery
1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/3 cup tahini
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 Tablespoons water
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Few cracks black pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, add diced carrots.
3. Mix carrots with 1 T oil and Ā¼ t salt.
4. Roast in oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan every 10 minutes.
5. Allow to cool 5 minutes.
6. In a large food processor add carrots and all remaining ingredients.
7. Puree until creamy.
8. Adjust seasoning and consistency as desired.
